Read Online Eleven New Ghost Stories by David Paul Nixon - Free Book Online Page A

of Windsor Park, where
we could watch young couples punting along the river or the lake.
Happy days. Well, happy mostly.
    To my slight embarrassment, I
didn’t know how to fish, and it seemed to me that everyone knew how
to fish in the village. It was something that seemed to bridge
divisions; I remember the young men at my school speaking fondly of
it too. And Iris could fish, and I felt a bit silly getting lessons
from a girl. But she was very keen to teach me and I couldn’t help
but feel obliged to accept her offer.
    So plans were set for us to go
fishing. I was able to find a fishing rod in Guillam’s attic and he
was able, after a full day’s pestering, to get it in working order
for me. We were all set to go when I found, much to my surprise,
her father’s shop closed. Not to be discouraged, I went to her
family home, which was not so far away. There was quite a
commotion, raised voices, screaming – tearful screaming – from the
house. I was pretty wary, as you can imagine, but I was still keen
to keep my appointment with Iris, so I still went to the door. And
I was about to knock, I remember, when there was this terrific
smash. Something thrown and then breaking – crockery, a glass –
something like that. That made me scared so I was about to leave,
but just as I was about to go I heard my name called.
    I looked up and saw Iris in her
bedroom. She had the window open and shouted me to meet her around
the back. I quickly obeyed and she appeared a few moments later in
the alley, with her fishing rod and all her bits and pieces. She
was never one to let anyone tell her what to do. That was something
I liked very much; I was a much meeker child.
    We went to the lake and I tried
hard to find out what was going on at her home. She said that her
brother Billy was home and this was news to me because she’d never
once mentioned a brother. She said he was a wrong-en and always in
trouble. And that her parents preferred him to stay away, but now
he was home again and was insisting on staying.
    She didn’t seem to know much
more than that, either that or she wasn’t telling. I didn’t enquire
too much I don’t think.
    So we went fishing; we had fun I
seem to remember, although I didn’t really understand what the fuss
was about. Dangling your rod into the water and then just sitting
around waiting. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been again. I
wasn’t very keen on the wriggly things – worms on the hook, that
sort of thing. She didn’t seem to give it a moment’s thought. Then
when we caught a fish, and it was there in my hands, its big eye
looking up at me, with the hook through its mouth – I was so
shocked I dropped the poor thing. Iris was quick to save the day,
and got it into the net in the water. She teased me about being a
posh nob – I remember being a bit upset about that. But it was a
nice afternoon ultimately; we caught four or five fish, all
tiddlers.
    It was only on the way home that
we got into trouble. I should’ve left her and let her go home
alone, but I followed her all the way back, completely oblivious to
the fact I was walking into trouble. The second she got home, she
received a very severe telling off and a threat of physical harm
from her father – the belt was not uncommon in those days. I was
told to go off home straight away or else they’d speak to my
uncle.
    Now, I didn’t think I’d done
anything wrong, but I thought it probably best Guillam didn’t know,
not that I could imagine him doing anything as crude as smacking
me. But as I was walking away, their front door opened up again and
I was shouted at: “Oi, you!”
    I turned and found striding
towards me the man I immediately guessed was brother Billy. Huge
hulking brute, broad shouldered with a granite jaw and chin you
could chop wood on – he was a frightening figure to behold. And he
was marching towards me and he reached out and he picked me clean
up off my feet.
    “You been playing about with my
sister